The Best Video Games Ever

Resident Evil 4: Quite Possibly The Most Fun You Will Ever Have On A Videogame

2009-01-23T18:10:00.000-08:00

This game was worth the very long wait. It has currently been released on Gamecube, Ps2, Wii, PC, and now there is talk of porting it to the 360 and the PS3! I wonder why...

It was completely different from all the other Resident Evils, and the change was good. In this one you reprise your role as the reluctant hero Leon for number 2. In this installment he is a bona fide action hero. Roundhouse kicking, diving, and suplexing, all moves that would make Chuck Norris proud. There is no more T Virus, which was a series staple, but it was replaced by a parasite that made the villagers more angry at the Americans than they should have been.

The sheer amount of addicting fun can not be topped. Every kill rewards you with ammo or treasure that can be used to purchase weapon upgrades. Upgrading your stuff is a very fun part of this game. The best part of which is that after finishing this game you can start new one with all of your same items and weapons, which is awesome, plus the countless unlockables that are granted. I have played through a few times, and it never gets old. It is action packed and even though its totally different from the previous installments it is a welcomed one.

Code: Veronica AKA Hardest Resident Evil Ever

2008-12-12T06:19:00.000-08:00

This game originally came out for the Dreamcast, and when I saw it at my friends house for the first time I was totally blown away! The graphics were a huge step forward from the old Playstation releases. It was spectacular. Especially to see some of the Matrix like cutscenes when Steve breaks through the glass with the dual gold rugers. It is a very solid Resident Evil game, thats why I'm surprised it wasn't numbered as being the 4th offical game in the series. The one point of this game that I should mention is that this game is one of the hardest Resident Evil's out there. In fact, it is one of the most difficult games I have ever played. The game is simply massive, and with all the enemies respawning, it makes ammo conserving a bitch. A plus is that the knife actually does a fair amount of damage. There are tons of locations you have to remember, and multiple paths you can take, not realizing that you should have gone another way first to get a certain key, only to find yourself backtracking the entire level just to find it, then running into hordes of respawned zombies. Trust me, for being a Resident Evil pro, its pretty tough.

A big plus to this game was the return of a classic foe, Albert Wesker. The PS2 version has more added scenes of him and there are awesome. Especially when Chris punches his face, his glasses fall off and you see his tripped out eyes! This game is extremly long and difficult, but well worth anyones daring time.

Survivor? Survive what?

2008-12-10T01:10:00.000-08:00

This game takes maybe an hour tops to beat. Enough said. If you love extremely cheesy dialogue then I highly recommend this one, its full of great one liners. Aside from that there really is not much value to this game. It feels like they slapped it together in a couple of days. Its not really part of the main story, so I can't really be that against it. For die hard fans, its a must. The one redeeming aspect I found was that you actually get to see tons of Mr. X's in the final lab facility. Aside from that, there are no new surprises. The gorilla tactical soldiers that you face are the best joke. Literally gorilla ape men in swat gear fire guns at you. Once you kill them they vaporize. What the Hell right? This must have been a time filler game, or they must have let the interns make this while they focused on Code: Veronica.

Resident Evil 3: Being Hunted Has Never Been So Fun!

2008-11-20T11:09:00.001-08:00

Talk about nerve racking. This game puts you on the edge of your seat at least the first few play throughs, because you have no idea where the Nemesis is going to show up. Resident Evil 3, though not as great as 2, is still a killer game, literally. In this one you have the ability to choose your own path and the Nemesis will show up at random times, depending on what you chose. In this game you resume your role as Jill Valentine from the first Resident Evil, and now she must escape Raccoon City. This game was great since you actually were able to go inside the police station for a small portion of the game. The other playable character Carlos, is a mecenary hired by Umbrella to evacuate survivors. A cool scene in this game is when you actually see one of his comrades turn into a zombie, never before seen until this game. When you finally defeat the Nemesis for the last time, there is no greater feeling, since you have been stalked by this invincible force for the entire length of the game. I read somewhere that this wasn't intended to be #3, just a side game, but they added it to the offical canon for some reason, not quite sure about the details on that. Anyway, Resident Evil 3 Nemesis, is an "edge of your seat thriller". When he showed up at the police station, and broke through the window, and then chased me, I lost it!

Resident Evil 2: A Sequel Better Than The Original

2008-11-06T21:17:00.000-08:00

It took a while for this game to make its 1998 debut. Since they took the entire game that would have been the sequel and scrapped the entire project, then started from scratch. Photos and video clips can still be found on the way it was going to be, which didn't look all that bad. Claire was this college chick Elza, and Leon was the same. To help with the long wait, Capcom decided to release the Directors Cut of the 1st game. It did come with a demo of the first part of 2. I was at school, in 7th grade, and a kid, who would later become my close gaming buddy was telling me how the gunshop owner gets totally dominated when four zombies break through the glass. I had to see it, so my friend Tim, who introduced me to FF7 and Resident Evil showed me the masterpeice. Might I saw that it was the perfect sequel. In every way it retained the essence of the first game, but took it to a much higher level. Instead of being in a narrow hallway with 2-3 zombies, you were in the streets of Racoon City, sourrounded by up to 8 zombies at a time, and thwey were everywhere. The CG cut scenes blew me away with how realistically the people moved. Motion capturing the actions of the characters gave the scenes their amazing appeal. It came out in the greatest year of gaming (98) and has left its mark on the world of survival horror.

When the Licker jumped through the window of the interrogation room, i pissed my pants. And finally, when Mr. X broke through the wall, i was scared, but when he broke through the wall again, i was blown away. Amazing.

Resident Evil

2008-11-06T00:48:00.001-08:00

I know I know! Resident Evil was not the first survival horror game, but it was the one that coined the term. I was in 4th grade, and a friend of mine that lived across the pond kept talking about visiting this old abandoned house. He called it the Resident Evil House. Not knowing anything about the game, I wondered why he called it that, until he showed me. I was a small kid, maybe it was fifth grade, anyhoo, I was terrified, especially the first time I saw the first zombie slowly turn his head in the CG cut scene. I was blown away, especially the first time the dogs jumped out of the window, not once but twice. Nobody had ever experienced that before, at least to that extreme. I tried to play and the controls were way to hard for me to grasp. My parents heard me talking about it and they told me I could never play it again. That did not stop me. Something kept bringing me back to it. When I found out that Captain Wesker was working for Umbrella I was totally blown away, especially when he got sliced up by the Tyrant. All around this game influenced many others and started one of the biggest franchises the gaming world has ever seen. My hat goes off to the original Resident Evil.

Survival Horror Games

2008-11-04T21:38:00.001-08:00

In the next my next few articles I will try and cover all the essentials to the survival horror franchises. This being one of my favorite genres of games. I'll give small history lessons, but essentially just go through and review game by game until all the greats are covered. I still have not played Fatal Frame, so unfortunately I won't cover that one. From what I have see, all I can say is that I don't want to play it, to freaky.

Dead Space Review

2008-10-31T13:07:00.000-07:00

Well I finally beat it. It was awesome. I was a little worried that it wouldn't be a very long game, but it took me a solid 11 hours to get through it. To be honest the story is really sweet, especially the plot twists. I honestly didn't see them coming. I'm a huge fan of Resident Evil 4, and this played close to it. The replay value of his game is very high since you can start a new game with all your upgrades and items intact. I makes it fun a second time through. The ending leaves you hanging a bit, but I would be fine if they decided not to make a sequel. It stands strong by itself, but knowing EA we will probably see the sequel in the next year. This is a welcomed addition to the survival horror library. My only complaint is that the monsters are a little repetitive and the scares fade out as the game progresses. Its not that you expect it to happen, its that those spots where they could have had the scares didn't have them. Great game.

Dead Space Is Scary

2008-10-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

I recently saw some adds for this game on TV so I thought I would give it a shot. It brings back feelings of Doom 3. The game play is very reminiscent of Resident Evil 4. Honestly its a good mix between the two. I like how you are not some super warrior, but an average technician who has to survive the ever growing odds. A feature that makes this game fun is the ability you have to upgrade just about every aspect of your inventory, this keeps you looking for new ways to increase your skills. If you don't like games where things jump out at you, then don't play this then. I'm only on the second level, and more things have jumped out at me than all of the resident evil's combined, no joke. I dont think this game can be called "the best ever" yet, but its a great addition to the survival horror library.

The Headshot

2008-10-15T21:39:00.000-07:00

Its probably not very healthy, but as I have come to play first person shooters online, I have realized this feeling you get when you get a headshot, and might I say, it feels phenomenal. In fact, it becomes addicting to line up your scope and drop a fool instantly. There's nothing like it. It is more than just trying to kill somebody with one shot, it is an art form. It takes patience, finesse and skill to pull of a headshot, and when you do, it is glorious. I admit, I was a bit intimidated at first, but with much practice I was able to get myself there. This is a small aspect that makes these games fun.

Team Fortress 2

2008-10-14T10:14:00.000-07:00

It was released with the Orange Box, and I was hesitant to get it. I really was waiting for Half Life Episode 2 to come out by itself since I didn't want to pay top dollar for games I didn't know I'd like. Thankfully a friend of mine, who had introduced me to to Counter Strike Source, had also gotten this game and kept pestering me to buy it. I resisted, thinking it looked like a stupid cartoony game, but man was I wrong. I finally went to the website and watched a trailer for it, that's when I realized what it was all about. 9 different classes, all with unique weapons and personalities, fighting to reach a goal, be it capture the flag, control point, or mine cart push. That convinced me to purchase the Orange Box, and I have never regretted that purchase. My 3 best classes would have to be the Pyro, Sniper and Scout. Its amazingly addictive, since a full game can consist of 30 players! The class combinations are infinite, and when you are dominating the other players, everybody knows it. This game is only playable online, and thats why its great. And there is no greater feeling that totally raping another team. For anyone out there that plays and is reading this, my screen name is Krispy, and I will murder you.

Bioshock: A Truly Unique Experience

2008-10-12T23:03:00.000-07:00

I'm not posting this entry because I think this is one of the best games ever made, it's not. But its one hell of a different one. I have never played anything like it. Who came up with building a 1940's metropolis under sea? and not to mention shooting up all kinds of genetic enhancing drugs to gain new powers. It's original and I'm currently playing it, that is why I'm giving it cred. The "Big Daddy's" and "Little Sister's" are the most creative thing about this game. With so many WW2 shooters out there, its nice to see a completely new change of pace. And that brings me to my WW2 rant. How many times do we honestly need to storm the beach at Normandy? Cally of Duty 4 was a good change of pace, but I'm tired of em. Honestly its the sci-fi first person shooters that got me into playing em, not the WW2 clones. Well, that's about all I got. Try Bioshock, its different.

Chrono Trigger

2008-10-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

Next to Final Fantasy 7, Chrono Trigger stands as one of the greatest RPGs ever made. And yes, it came from Squaresoft. It was a dream team project. They had the guys who made the Final Fantasies team up with the creator of Dragonball Z and the creator of the Dragon Quest series. And honestly you could not ask for a better game. I never played it until way after fact when it was rereleased on the playstation with animated cutscenes. It was a masterpeice. The time traveling opens the game up to a world of possibilities and gives the game numerous amounts of endings. After seeing those cutscenes I really thought and still think they should turn it into an animated series, since the cutscenes in the rerelease were fantastic. I know a DS remake is on its way, but I really think they should overhaul it and give it a facelift. For anyone who has not experienced this game it is a must play. Get your hands on this epic, you will not be dissappointed. The only thing I wish it had was dialougue from Crono. He is silent the entire time, which is supposed to make you feel like you are him, but at times its just annoying. The biggest plus to this game is in fact the New Game + mode. When you beat the game you save and can start a new game + with all your items, equipment, and your level from your last game! this way it is alot easier to get the different endings and nobody stands a chance against how strong you can become. This is a definitive classic and will be forever, what do you expect, it's timeless!

Squaresoft

2008-10-10T00:45:00.000-07:00

It is now commonly known as Square Enix, but a few years back it was known as Squaresoft. Possibly the numero uno in video game companies. Though they focus on primarily RPG titles, Squaresoft knows how to make epic games. Especially in the late 90's, tons of amazing games came out from them, most notably Final Fantasy 7. They hit a golden stride and it totally had me hooked. The sad aspect of this company comes when they joined with Enix. The games they released just did not have the magic that the Squaresoft ones possessed. We can look at the list and compare them.

Squaresoft

Final Fantasy 1-10 (11 is were they went downhill)
Chrono Trigger
Super Mario RPG
Bushido Blade 1 & 2
Secret of Mana
Saga Frontier
Xenogears
Parasite Eve
Brave Fencer Musashi
The Bouncer
Kingdom Hearts

Square Enix

Final Fantasy 12
Dragon Quest 8

There are a lot of games Square Enix have released, most being remakes of the earlier list. Its just clear that there is no new innovations going on here. I wish that the good old Squaresoft days never would have ended.

Parasite Eve

2008-10-08T09:11:00.001-07:00

This game doesn't get the credit I think it deserves. Parasite Eve is the perfect combination of RPG and survival horror genres. It was made by Squaresoft, so you know its good. The fun part about this game is the fact that you have the ability to customize your weapons, making every time you play a little different. The battles were awesome since you are not stationary like in most RPG's. The best part is the EX game. After you beat the game you can start a new one with your best upgraded weapons and armor, and try your hand at the chrysler building. The story is very intriguing, especially if you are into biology. I played the sequel and did not really feel it lived up to the origional. This is just one of those games that has its following, but unfortunatly a lot of people didn't play. Lucky for me it came out at a time where I was eating and drinking everything Squaresoft was making. It also came out in 1998, the greatest year in gaming.

Silent Hill 2

2008-10-02T00:46:00.000-07:00

The first one introduced us to the haunting town of Silent Hill, the second one was the masterpiece. Ask any fan of the series and they will tell you Silent Hill 2 is the best in the series. From its array of mysterious characters to the chilling atmospheric story, Silent Hill 2 reigns supreme. The shear amount of symbolism contained within the game is mind blowing. Everything you come into contact with represents something within this game, slowly and carefully revealing information about our main character, James Sunderland. It captures the essence of what Silent Hill should be, and its own unique story to show the way. What was great about this one was that you did not need to play the first one to understand anything with the second one. It's own story, set in a familiar location gave rise to the possibilities that this franchise could produce. The music is what gives this game its edge. Aside form the scary ones, the twangy rock music gave this game its own personality. I personally own the soundtrack, its that good. If you like Silent Hill style music, try listening to the band Portishead, trust me, its almost identical which is cool. In conclusion, this is a must play for anyone liking the survival horror genre. It beats the pants off the Resident Evil series, and is one of the most beautiful artistic creations ever assembled on a video game system.

The Police State

2008-09-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

One aspect of Half Life 2 I failed to mention is it's realistic approach in showing a fully functional police state. The Combine are in full force throughout this game, from security checks, to break ins, to random interrogations, this game captures the essence of where our own country is headed. If you were a fan of George Orwell's 1984, then this game gives a "first person" perspective to what that situation would be like. The revolt towards the end of the game is priceless, showing what the citizens must do in order to obtain freedom. The Patriot Act is one real world example of how our freedoms will slowly pushed into oblivion and the government will control everything. This games message is as timely as ever.

Protoss vs Zerg vs Terran

2008-09-21T23:57:00.000-07:00

I had been a huge Warcraft 2 fan since I first played it. I would blast Kashmir by Led Zepplin as I played for a totally climactic experience. I had seen some screenshots for Starcraft, but they didn't peak my interest. Finally my cousins got it and told me it was way better than Warcraft 2. I did not believe that for one second. I had to see though, and when I did, my mind completly changed. Starcraft is the definition of what real time strategy games should be. I was in 8th grade at the time, and when I started asking everyone about it, they already played! Where was I? By far, the online battle.net experience is what really brought out the magic for this game. My friends and I would stay up for all hours of the night playing in massive battles. The Protoss were by far my favorite, the Terran alright, but I just wasn't into the Zerg that much. Even today this game still has the magic, and believe it or not, people are still playing it! Finally, the long awaited sequel is just over the horizon, and a new generation will learn about the greatness that is called Starcraft.

Half Life 2

2008-09-19T11:38:00.000-07:00

If you have not experienced this game then what the hell have you been doing with your life? It is unmatched by any in the first person genre, it is the Halo destroyer. It is like playing a movie. My dad, of all people, kept telling me to buy it, which I finally did, and I was blown away by the realism of the physics, the way the music kicks in as the action heats up and the overall vibe you get playing it. The source engine is really what gives this game its edge. Everything breaks, explodes, and falls in an ultra realistic fashion. The story is very intriguing and the characters unforgettable. Every other person I have shown this game to has become an addict. Not to mention how amazing the following Episodes are. Especially Episode 2. In ways its better than the original. This is one of those games every gamer must play before they die. It is on every single console now, very easily available to everyone. Play it and realize why it received 35 Game Of The Year Awards.

Lucky Number 7 (part 4)

2008-09-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

In conclusion, there will never be another game like Final Fantasy 7. It just can't be topped. For it's time it was the best, and games that come out these days just don't measure up to its quality. I play FF7 every year and I will continue to do so, until the end of time.

Lucky Number 7 (part 3)

2008-09-05T09:56:00.000-07:00

It wasn't only the cutscenes, the music, or the materia system that made Final Fantasy 7 great, but the compelling story and characters. As you went from town to town, the story unfolded much like other FFs, but this time around, you wanted to find Sephiroth. Cloud was the number 1 badass with that huge sword, and a mysterious past. Nobody had ever seen anything like it before. The most shocking event in the history of video games happened in Final Fantasy 7, the death of Aeris. I remember playing it with my close friend and when it happened we went into shock. Never again will the world ever be taken into the saddest moment of a game, and get ready for whats ahead when the screen reads "Please Insert Disc 2."

Lucky Number 7 (part 2)

2008-09-03T10:25:00.001-07:00

It was about this time, 11 years ago, when Final Fantasy 7 hit the shores of North America. The Sega Saturn was finished. I remember seeing the commercials on TV and freaking out. So did everybody else. Playstations were purchased for the sole reason of playing FF7. I remember watching the evening news were a kid they interviewed said all he wanted for Christmas was a Playstaion and FF7. It was taking the world by storm. People that hated RPGs were converted by FF7. Lucky for me I had been slightly above the curve. A few months earlier a friend of mine told me to come over, that he had a sweet demo to show me. Up until this point I had played FF6 and 4 a little, but couldn't really get into them. When I saw the demo of 7 I thought it was pretty cool. When he eventually got it I watched him play it and slowly became obsessed. I ended up borrowing it from him and playing it at my cousin's house. We ended up playing it all night, starting a new game and stopping at Junon. I will never forget that night, that is when we all got hooked. When has a game ever caused this kind of sensation in the world of gaming?

Lucky Number 7 (part 1)

2008-08-30T17:30:00.001-07:00

I don't know if one blog entry is enough to cover a game that is so near and dear to me. From the the time of it's release and the following years, for me, Final Fantasy 7 is the greatest game ever made. There's a million different angles to cover, so lets begin by going back in time. If anyone remembers, the Sony Playstation and the Sega Saturn were very close rivals. Many games at the time like Tomb Raider for example, came out on both systems. Sega, who had years of prior experience was constantly neck and neck with it's new to the gaming scene competitor Sony. It looked as though these two would be battling it out for years to come. That is, until the announcement of a Playstation exclusive. Squaresoft had had a really great relationship with Nintendo. With releases of such classics like FF6 and Chrono Trigger, the future was looking good for Squaresoft's reltionship with Nintendo. Except for the fact that Nintendo decided to stay with cartridges. This would prove fatal to their relationship with Squaresoft because their planned uber-mega-epic Final Fantasy 7 would need to utilize the disc space and cut scene options of Playstation discs.

The Most Overrated Game Of All Time

2008-08-29T18:30:00.000-07:00

This is none other than Halo and it's sequels. The only redeeming value about this game is the use of vehicles. Other than that there is nothing special about it. Has anyone claiming to love Halo ever played Half Life 2, or Goldeneye? Clearly it is over hyped to the max. The creatures you fight in Halo are a joke. Okay, those gorilla's in the later ones can be nuts, but that's it. The flood just gets redundant. If you love multiplayer games get with the program, Team Fortress 2 is sweeping the nation. For anyone out there that still loves Halo, here's three words "Half Life 2", it will blow you away.

The Greatest Year In Gaming

2008-08-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

That of course would apply to the year 1998. Enough said. Yes, there have been other classics released throughout the years, but '98 is when developers from the top companies brought their "A" games to the table. Everybody had really begun to explore the capability of the technology and were able to translate that into the innovation of these captivating artistic creations. Games like Metal Gear Solid, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Resident Evil 2, and how could you forget Starcraft. These games took our playing to a whole new level, and paved the way for the games of the future. Sure, today there are games out there that one could argue are better than these, but it was these ones that changed everything. I'll cover all the details in future blogs.

Collapse of the Berlin Wall

2008-08-27T20:32:00.000-07:00

From the first time i saw Super Mario Bros 3 at my friends house i was hooked. I had to have been about 5 years old, this was the early 90's. I was mesmerized by the possibility of exploring a virtual world that only existed on the tv screen. Days passed and i was always eager to go to my friends house to play games again. When i approached my parents about getting our own system, they said we could rent one, but it would never find a home in our house. This crushed me. I was totally obsessed with playing games. When we did rent systems, that was all i did. Every waking second of every minute was filled with trying to solve a puzzle or beat a boss to pass to the next level. Years of this went on. I only was able to play at my friend's houses. Over those years we had tried many times to get our parents to break. They wouldnt budge. Until one fateful day. We had been at Sam's club earlier that day and seen a N64 bundled with Zelda: Orcarina of Time. We got home and pleaded to back and get it. My parents had always been reluctant in denying us. I, to this day don't know what it was that made them break. It was like the collapse of the Berlin Wall. It just happened, finally. We went back and bought it. The rest is pretty much history, though i had tons of games to catch up on. The following is my thoughts/reviews of games I have come to appreciate over the years, not only for fun factor but their impact on gaming and their artistic credibility. These games will not be in chronological order of when they came out or when i played them, just as they come to me.